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Érard Frères et Co. 1800

Description

Date:

1800

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Origin:

Paris

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Serialnumber:

4343

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In the late 18^th century, the square piano underwent significant development in France, and particularly in England, playing a central role in the musical and cultural history of the era. Following its invention, it quickly gained popularity and became a favoured instrument in the salons of the French aristocracy and the rising bourgeois elite, as it was more compact, portable, and cost-effective compared to the grand fortepiano. The square piano, however, was not merely a musical instrument but also a cultural symbol of the time. In an era where music-making became an integral part of social life, the square piano symbolized an elevated lifestyle.

The instrument presented here was manufactured by the company Érard Frères et Co. in Paris in 1800. It is a very simply designed instrument. The case and the corresponding original legs are made of mahogany and adorned with a modest bronze trim. The nameboard is signed with:

“Érard Frères et Co.
Rue du Mail No. 37
à Paris 1800.”

Érard Frères et Co. 1800 – Eric Feller Collection

The original keyboard spans 5 octaves (FF – f3), with the lower keys covered in ivory and the upper keys made of ebony. The instrument is double-strung and has two pedals, integrated into the rear left leg, for dampers and Lute (Jeu de Luth).
On the soundboard, next to the bridge, the original handwritten signature with the serial number 4343 can be found.

Square Piano Érard Frères et Co. 1800 No. 4343 – Eric Feller Collection (Erard production books 1)

According to the production books of the company Érard, the instrument was delivered to Monsieur Secrétan, a violin maker from Tarbes. It is currently only known that Monsieur Secrétan was both a violin maker and a carpenter. In the city archives of Tarbes, there is a handwritten document, dated May 15, 1807, in which he is named and listed with his profession as a violin maker. In this document, he was commissioned to prepare a report on the significance of the organ in the community.

Additionally, there are four other entries in the city archives of Tarbes from the years 1802, 1804, and 1828, in which the name Secrétan is mentioned. However, these entries refer to the head of the local fire department. It remains unclear whether Secrétan was a member of the fire department and volunteered, or whether there were two separate individuals, likely related, who shared the same surname.

Square Piano Érard Frères et Co. 1800 No. 4343 – Eric Feller Collection (Erard production books 2)

A second reference to Monsieur Secrétan appears in a rather unusual context during the French Revolution. On May 30, 1793, the National Convention decreed the establishment of a cannon foundry in Tarbes. A few days earlier, a decree had ordered the confiscation of most of the bells in the department. The chosen location for the foundry was the monastery of the Franciscan Brothers, which had served as a “Maison nationale” since December 20, 1792. Prior to this, it had been the seat of the States of the Province of Bigorre and hosted the final sessions of the assemblies of the Clergy and the Nobility in April 1789. The violin maker Monsieur Secrétan agreed to oversee the foundry. The foundry lasted only a short time and was auctioned on June 1, 1796, for 6400 Francs to François Dassieu, a doctor in Tarbes.

(via “Trois canons anciens à Tarbes” in: La Nouvelle République des Pyrénées, March 28, 2020)

Manuscript Municipal Archive of the City of Tarbes from May 15, 1807 (Page 33)

Detailed information about the company Érard Frères can be found in the publications – click here!

Other surviving instruments by the company Érard Frères et Co.:

• 1800 Square Piano (No. 4475), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
• 1808 Square Piano (No. 7488), Cité de la Musique, Paris, France